U.S. criticises Russia's civilian attacks; no F-16 specialists
Another day of bombardments on Ukrainian territory has passed. Sirens echoed in Kyiv and Kharkiv, where today's attacks claimed six new victims.
Kyiv's forces announced they had shot down 24 of the 52 drones launched by the Russians across eight Ukrainian regions. In Kharkiv, a day of mourning has been declared following yesterday's strikes, which resulted in the deaths of at least seven people and injuries to nearly 100 others, including 22 children and a 10-month-old baby. President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians and critical infrastructure, calling for "strong decisions" from Western allies.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army announced that Lieutenant General Anatoly Krivonozhko has been appointed interim commander of the Air Force. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who met at the Pentagon with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, and Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, condemned Russia's recent attacks on civilian targets.
"Let me be clear: it is never acceptable to target civilians, and Ukraine's resistance will help it prevail over President Vladimir Putin's aggression and atrocities," stated U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
At the same time, the United States refuses to send American specialists to Ukraine to service F-16 aircraft, which could be used for strikes on Russian bases, The Wall Street Journal reports. Lloyd Austin stated that Washington will advocate for further expansion of Ukraine's air defence at next week's Ukraine Contact Group meeting, scheduled to take place at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Meanwhile, the Russian military has announced new victories on the front in the Donetsk region and claims to have taken control of the locality of Kirove. Recently, Russia has been gradually advancing in this illegally annexed region, even though it does not fully control it.
At the same time, Ukrainian troops continue to advance in Russia's Kursk region, and Ukrainian Telegram channels have posted images of a destroyed column of Russian equipment there. According to Ukrainian media, Russian soldiers had intended to install pontoon crossings over the Seim River.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
